Last weekend we celebrated the Blues in Chicago. An under courant of grief passed through the Chicago Blues Festival on Sunday as we heard of 49 people murdered in a nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
When will it stop? There seems to be a gun atrocity every week in America. Yet, we seem to have a routine of national mourning. We have a moment of silence. We hold a candlelight vigal. Then we go on with our lives until the next one. We now have Donald “The Idiot” Trump telling us that it is the president’s fault, as he won’t shut the borders to all Muslims. Funny that he didn’t say anything about the most high profile Muslim of all in America. When Muhammad Ali died, not a peep from The Donald!
Paul Ryan tried to have a moment of silence in the House of Representatives after the Orlando tragedy, but was shouted down by a Democrat demanding a vote on gun control. Ryan beat his gavel on the podium and declared the session ended. Free Speech, anyone?
Then there is Representative Robin Kelly from the Chicagoland area, who broke down in tears during a speech a few weeks ago, who said:
“I am so relentless on this issue because moments of silence in Congress just aren’t going to cut it anymore.”
The luncheon audience hosted by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform applauded.
During a question and Answer session, she brought up a six year old girl fighting for her life after being shot about a mile from my house while playing in her front yard. Made me think that there were more people shot or killed on the streets of Chicago this year that were killed in that nightclub in Orlando. But not on the same night!
Ms. Kelly is right. A moment of silence won’t cut it any more.
This week Neil Steinberg, a columnist from the Chicago Sun Times set out to drive to the suburbs and buy an assault rifle. At the store, very pleasant young men told him which one would be “Best” for him, he handed over his FOID card and credit card, and went home for the 24 hour waiting period. That afternoon he got a call from the store saying his purchase was being denied, due to his (Well publicized) bout with alcoholism and spousal abuse from a few years ago. Too bad the guy in Orlando wasn’t checked that thoroughly.